The cavern trembled as a violent gale erupted out of nowhere.
Dust, shattered stones, and fragments of broken formations were swept into the air as immense pressure descended upon the battlefield.
Above the collapsing barrier, a vast shadow spread across the cave floor.
Then-
Garuda moved.
With a thunderous beat of his wings, the mythical eagle rose into the air. Each movement of his enormous wings created powerful gusts that rippled through the cavern like shockwaves.
His golden eyes blazed with divine authority as they locked onto the colossal serpent.
The serpent finally slowed.
Its massive head turned slowly, and its ancient golden eyes met Garuda's gaze.
For the first time since its appearance, the creature stopped advancing toward the trident.
The air between the two mythical beings grew heavy.
Even the sages standing nearby felt their breathing become difficult.
This was no longer a battle between mortals.
This was a clash between Mythical predators.
The serpent released a deep hiss, its tongue flickering in and out as it studied the enormous eagle hovering above.
"Garuda…" the serpent's voice rumbled like distant thunder, echoing across the cavern.
Garuda's wings remained spread wide, his divine feathers shimmering with faint golden light.
"This treasure does not belong to you," the serpent said coldly.
Garuda let out a low laugh that echoed through the cavern.
"Everything beneath the sky belongs to those strong enough to claim it."
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then the serpent struck.
Its enormous body shot forward like a lightning bolt. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of curved fangs dripping with venomous energy.
The speed of the attack stunned everyone watching.
But Garuda was faster.
With a single powerful flap of his wings, he surged upward, narrowly avoiding the serpent's bite. The serpent's jaws slammed shut with a deafening crack as they missed their target.
At the same instant, Garuda dove downward.
His talons gleamed like divine blades as they slashed across the serpent's scales.
CLANG!
Sparks erupted as claw met scale.
The serpent's body twisted violently, smashing its tail toward Garuda like a gigantic whip.
Garuda folded his wings and spun through the air, barely avoiding the crushing blow. The serpent's tail struck the cavern floor instead.
BOOM!
The ground shattered under the impact, cracks spreading across the stone like spiderwebs.
The serpent lunged again, moving with terrifying speed despite its enormous size.
This time it did not bite.
Instead, its jaws opened and released a cloud of dark venomous mist.
The toxic energy spread through the air like a living storm, dissolving rocks and corroding the cavern walls wherever it touched.
Garuda soared higher, avoiding the spreading venom cloud.
Then his eyes flashed with fierce light.
He folded his wings inward--
And dove like a meteor.
The speed of his descent tore through the air with a shrieking sound.
The serpent sensed the danger and tried to retreat, but Garuda was already upon it.
His talons slammed into the serpent's body with overwhelming force.
BOOM!
The impact drove the massive serpent into the ground. Stone shattered beneath it as the cavern floor collapsed.
The serpent roared in fury, its enormous body thrashing wildly.
Its tail lashed upward and struck Garuda across the side.
Garuda was thrown backward through the air, smashing through a massive stone pillar before stabilizing himself with a powerful beat of his wings.
For a brief moment, both mythical creatures paused.
The serpent slowly lifted its head from the shattered ground, blood trickling from the wound left by Garuda's claws.
Garuda hovered in the air, feathers slightly ruffled but his gaze still sharp and fearless.
Their golden eyes met once more.
But at that moment, hundreds of lotus stems shot forward, wrapping around the serpent's massive body.
The Lotus had finally made its move.
The serpent twisted violently. Its body was still entangled from Garuda's earlier attack, making it difficult to dodge.
With incredible flexibility, it evaded many of the stems.
But a few still wrapped tightly around its body.
Only for two seconds.
But that was enough.
Garuda's body suddenly burst into golden fire.
Divine flames spread across his feathers until his entire form blazed like a falling sun.
With a thunderous beat of his wings, he dived toward the serpent.
His burning wings carved a blazing arc through the air as he struck.
Shhraak!
The golden feathers sliced across the serpent's scales. Sparks and fragments of hardened scales scattered through the cavern like shattered metal.
The serpent released a piercing screech.
Several scales shattered, and a large portion of flesh was torn open. Divine fire burned across its wounded body.
The sages watched from the sidelines in stunned silence.
They were all at the same realm, yet the gap in strength felt overwhelming.
What they forgot was one crucial fact-
The creatures fighting before them were once gods among beasts.
Rahul quietly walked near the sages, completely unnoticed in the chaos.
Looking at their stunned expressions, he frowned.
"Why are you standing there?" he said sarcastically. "Waiting for music? Are you here to dance?"
His sharp words snapped them out of their daze.
"Move. Strike now- this is our chance."
The sages immediately regained their focus.
King Ronan raised his sword and shouted,
"Attack in groups of three!"
There had been ten sages in total, but one had already been thrown outside the cavern earlier.
The remaining sages quickly formed their groups and rushed toward the three beasts.
One group - Arin, Ronan, and Jack - charged straight toward Garuda.
They activated their techniques at the same time.
"Thousand-Pound Lightning Hammer!"
"Spinning Wind Wheel!"
"Werewolf Strike!"
Three attacks formed in perfect unison.
A massive lightning hammer condensed in the sky, crackling with violent electricity.
Beneath it, a two-meter spinning wheel of wind appeared, guiding the hammer's descent and amplifying its power.
At the same moment, a thirty-meter phantom werewolf manifested behind them. The towering beast grabbed the lightning hammer, spun it above its head, and brought it down in a devastating arc.
The gigantic hammer crashed toward Garuda.
Garuda's golden eyes flashed.
He folded his blazing wings inward and countered instantly.
"Dive of Death."
His talons shot forward like divine spears.
The talons and lightning hammer collided.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the cavern.
Shockwaves rippled through the air as sparks of lightning and fragments of wind energy scattered everywhere.
Both sides were pushed backward.
Garuda slid across the stone ground for fifteen meters, his talons carving deep grooves into the rock.
Ronan, Arin, and Jack were also forced back the same distance, their bodies trembling from the impact.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Even with three combined attacks, they had only managed to force Garuda into a stalemate.
Meanwhile, the other two groups launched their assaults against the Serpent and the Lotus Beast.
The results were nearly the same.
Powers clashed again and again, but neither side could gain a decisive advantage.
The battlefield remained locked in a tense stalemate.
Only the serpent, still weakened from its earlier injuries, struggled slightly to maintain its ground.
The battle dragged on as both sides accumulated wounds.
But this…
was far from the end.